Controller for electric circuits



C. S. SCHROEDER. CONTROLLER FUR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION m n IAY a, 1920 Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

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CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 19204 Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

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C. S. SCHROEDER. CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I920. Patented Oct H 5 SHEETS SHEET 5- Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. SCHROEDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,' ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE YALE & TOWNE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTI- OUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Application filed May 8, 1920. Serial No. 379,774.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHARLns-S. Sermonnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Richmond, of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Electric Circuits, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention has been developed with particular reference to the control of the electric circuits of electrically driven motor trucks such as are commonly employed on railway platforms and shipping piers and in industrial establishments for the handling of freight and heavy commodities. It has for its objects to prevent the arcing of the current at the contacts drum and to provide an improved automatic out-out which shall operate to out off current from the motor whenever the driver steps from the drivers platform. To attain the first mentioned object means are provided whereby the circuit between the storage battery and the motor shall'be interrupted at a point other than at the controller contact, whenever achan e in speed or direction necessitates a shifting of the contacts on the controller drum before any such change is made. The second named object is attain by providing connections from the drivers platform or brake pedal whereby the current is interrupted when the driver steps from the platform or releases the brake pedal or lever. Although the invention has been developed with particular reference to its use as stated, it will nevertheless be apparent that the invention, especially with respect to the prevention of arcing at the contacts of the controller drum, is'capable of use for other specific purposes. be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated and in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a motor driven, freight handling truck to which the invention is applied, the parts involved in the control of the motor being shown in the positions which they assume when the truck is at rest and the driver has stepped from his platform.

Figure 2 1s a view of the same in front elevation.

of the controller The invention will I ings in the frame f'of the controller mecha- Figure 3 is a view in front elevation of the controller in its casing, the front or cover of the casing being removed.

Figure 4 is a view of the same in end elevatlon, as seen from the right hand in Fig ure 3, with the casing in section.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are detail views in section on the planes indicated by the lines 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7, respectively, of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a development of the contacts of a portion of the controller drum.

Figure 9 1s a diagrammatic representation of the wiring system.

The truck which has been chosen for illustration of one application of the invention may have a suitable body a, with a main casing a to receive and, support the storage battery which supplies current for the propulsion of the truck, combined driving .and steering wheels I), each of which embodies a suitable motor, the field and armature coils of which are indicated at b in Figure 9, and carrying wheels 1)". Secured to the main frame a and casing a,at the front of the latter, is an auxiliary frame a which supports at its lower end the drivers platform c,'pivoted at c and raised by springs 0 when the driver steps from the platform, from the position indicated by broken lines in Figure 1 to the position indicated by full lines, a controller casing d and a controller handle 6. The steering handle and its connections, with which the present invention is in no wise concerned, are not shown. Anarm 0 of the drivers platform is connected by a link 0* to the controller mechanism, as hereinafter described, and the controller lever e is connected by a link 6' to an arm 6 secured on theoperating shaft f of the controller mechanism.

The shaft f is mounted in suitable bearnism and has secured thereon a gear segment f which meshes with a pinion g on the shaft 9 of the controller drum g, the shaft 9 being mounted in suitable bearings in the frame. The drum g carries in usual manner a series of contacts or terminals indicated in development in Figure 8 and in diagram in Figure 9, arranged to co-operate with a series of spring contacts or brushes 9 which, as shown in diagram in Figure 9,

indiare suitably connected to the battery,

csted at and the 'IDOlJOl coils, indicatedat b, so as to produce the required speeds ahead and in reverse. Suchwiring connections are common in the art and 'need not be described herein. As indicated in Figures l and 5, current is supplied to the terminals of the controller drum and "the brushes g" through a conductor 9 a laminated cut-out terminal a'n ovable termi. nalg and a flexible-conductor g". Current .is therefore supplied to the controller, f r

all positions, through the cutout switch formed by the terminals g g whichcmay be of such character to resist'thetende cy to arcing. 5y interrupting the .current'at the cut-oil switch 9 g prior'to each change imposition cfthe controller drum, arcing at the controller contacts is prevented. The means by which this is accomplished-will nowbe described.

The contactg is carriedby anarm iz of a sleeve 2, whichiis mounted'loosely onit'he shaft 7 and has an arm 7& to whichis-connected one end of a sprii1g-h ,"the'otheriend of which is connected to the frame f. The

terminal 9 is therefore held normally in contact with the terminal 9 A roller it, carried by the arm 7L',stands'in the path'oii the teeth of a star Wl166l-i,-Wl1lCl1'l1fiSa number of teeth equal to ,the number of dillerent positions of the controller drum and is secured to theshaft g oli'the drum so asto oscillate therewith. The teeth of the star wheel or cam wheel 2' are properlyplaced with respect to the contacts of the drumso that in the movement of the drum, Iat the time when theelectr-ical relation of the contacts g and the brushes is changed,the

corresponding tooth of the star Wheel or cam wheel a acts upon the-roller he and arm 7b tomove the termimil (7 away from the terminal and thereby interrupt the current before the contact on the drumleaves the brush. Arcing at the contacts of the controllerdrum is therefore prevented.

For the purpose of insuring proper movement of thedrum 9 there is also fixed to the shaft g la toothed detent wheslfk which co-.

operates with a roller 7: carried by an arm 1: on a sleeve which 18 mountedonthe shalt f. An arm (70* of the sleeve has socured thereto one end of a spring iz'fljthe other end .01 which is connected to the frame f. v

F or the purpose of interrupting the circuit at the switch 9'', 9 whenever the d 7s weight is removed from the plat-- form send the platform is raised by the springs .0 the arm 0 of the platform is connected by'the link 0 to an arm 0 ofa a which is plvoted ,on the shaft g vand readily without further explanation. .Ja

dependent mechanical means 'Withsaid cut-out for openingthe same re gai'dless "of the position ot the drum contacts relatively to the brushes.

secured to the moi:

edtothe precise construction shown anddescribed therein except as pointed out :in :the

accompanying-claims.

"I claim as my invention '1. In "an electric circuit controller "the combination with a controller drum having contacts and brushes for cooperation with said-contactspf cut-out in the controller circuit,- means controlledby movement of: the 'controllerdriimto open said cut-out, and incooperable '2. In electric circuit controller, the combination with a controller drumhavin contacts and brushes to cooperate with said contacts, of a out-outinthecontrollereircuitcomprisinglixed and movable members,

means controller by movement of "the icontroller drum to move the movable member of the cut-out to open 1 the latter, means for closing the cut out, and mechanical means independent of the controller drum formering'themovable member of thecnt-outto o enthe latter regardless of the position oi 1e 'rlrumcontacts relati'vely'tothe brushes.

3. In an electric circuit controller, the combination with a controller drum having contacts, andbrnshes to cooperate with-said contacts, or a cut-out included in the controller circuit, said cut-Ont comprising :a movable member and a; fincomemher, aneirm ible member of the cut outra spring tending to force'the said movable member toward-the-finc i member of the cut-out, aymovable arm to cooperate with the arm to which said niorable cut-out 111G111- ber is/secured to open said cut-out regardless 'ofthe position of the drum contacts relatii 'ely to the brushes, and mechanical means independent of the controller drum for operating; said movable arm.

This specification signed "this 7th day of May A. D. 1920. i 4

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